Disappearance of Ensemble-Averaged Josephson Current in Dirty SNS Junctions of d-wave Superconductors

We discuss the Josephson current in superconductor / dirty normal conductor / superconductor junctions, where the superconductors have $d_{x^2-y^2}$ pairing symmetry. The low-temperature behavior of the Josephson current depends on the orientation angle between the crystalline axis and the normal of the junction interface. We show that the ensemble-averaged Josephson current vanishes when the orientation angle is $\pi/4$ and the normal conductor is in the diffusive transport regime. The $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave pairing symmetry is responsible for this fact.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Temperature dependence and size effects on strain hardening mechanisms in copper polycrystals

International audienc

Temperature dependence and size effects on strain hardening mechanisms in copper polycrystals

International audienc

Size effects and temperature dependence on strain-hardening mechanisms in some face centered cubic materials

International audienceThe mechanical behavior of face centered cubic metals is deeply affected when specimen dimensions decrease from a few millimeters to a few micrometers. At room temperature, a critical thickness (t) to grain size (d) ratio (t/d)c was previously highlighted, under which the softening of mechanical properties became very pronounced both in terms of Hall–Petch relation and work hardening mechanisms. In this work, new experimental results are provided concerning the influence of temperature on this size effect for copper, nickel and Ni–20 wt.%Cr, representative of a wide range of deformation mechanisms (i.e. dislocation slip character). It is shown that multicrystalline samples (t/d (t/d)c) are not significant enough to reduce the gap between polycrystal and multicrystal mechanical behavior when the temperature increases. However, a transition from wavy slip to planar glide mechanisms induces a modification of the polycrystalline behavior which tends toward multicrystalline one with a moderate increase in temperature. This work demonstrates that surface effects and grain size influence can be successfully disassociated for the three studied materials using an analysis supported by the Kocks–Mecking formalism. All these results are supported by microscopic investigations of dislocation substructures and compared to numerical simulations using a strain gradient plasticity model

Size effects and temperature dependence on strain-hardening mechanisms in some face centered cubic materials

International audienceThe mechanical behavior of face centered cubic metals is deeply affected when specimen dimensions decrease from a few millimeters to a few micrometers. At room temperature, a critical thickness (t) to grain size (d) ratio (t/d)c was previously highlighted, under which the softening of mechanical properties became very pronounced both in terms of Hall–Petch relation and work hardening mechanisms. In this work, new experimental results are provided concerning the influence of temperature on this size effect for copper, nickel and Ni–20 wt.%Cr, representative of a wide range of deformation mechanisms (i.e. dislocation slip character). It is shown that multicrystalline samples (t/d (t/d)c) are not significant enough to reduce the gap between polycrystal and multicrystal mechanical behavior when the temperature increases. However, a transition from wavy slip to planar glide mechanisms induces a modification of the polycrystalline behavior which tends toward multicrystalline one with a moderate increase in temperature. This work demonstrates that surface effects and grain size influence can be successfully disassociated for the three studied materials using an analysis supported by the Kocks–Mecking formalism. All these results are supported by microscopic investigations of dislocation substructures and compared to numerical simulations using a strain gradient plasticity model

Pines

Pinus is the most important genus within the Family Pinaceae and also within the gymnosperms by the number of species (109 species recognized by Farjon 2001) and by its contribution to forest ecosystems. All pine species are evergreen trees or shrubs. They are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, from tropical areas to northern areas in America and Eurasia. Their natural range reaches the equator only in Southeast Asia. In Africa, natural occurrences are confined to the Mediterranean basin. Pines grow at various elevations from sea level (not usual in tropical areas) to highlands. Two main regions of diversity are recorded, the most important one in Central America (43 species found in Mexico) and a secondary one in China. Some species have a very wide natural range (e.g., P. ponderosa, P. sylvestris). Pines are adapted to a wide range of ecological conditions: from tropical (e.g., P. merkusii, P. kesiya, P. tropicalis), temperate (e.g., P. pungens, P. thunbergii), and subalpine (e.g., P. albicaulis, P. cembra) to boreal (e.g., P. pumila) climates (Richardson and Rundel 1998, Burdon 2002). They can grow in quite pure stands or in mixed forest with other conifers or broadleaved trees. Some species are especially adapted to forest fires, e.g., P. banksiana, in which fire is virtually essential for cone opening and seed dispersal. They can grow in arid conditions, on alluvial plain soils, on sandy soils, on rocky soils, or on marsh soils. Trees of some species can have a very long life as in P. longaeva (more than 3,000 years)